


The Aftershocks of His Actions

by noxiousSanctity



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Baby, Crying, M/M, Stuck in a room together trope, communication errors, keith - Freeform, s4 spoilers, sweetheart no, thigh fucking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-16
Updated: 2017-10-16
Packaged: 2019-01-18 06:25:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12382716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noxiousSanctity/pseuds/noxiousSanctity
Summary: After the events of the takeover of Galran territory, Shiro's avoiding Keith like the plague. Keith doesn't know why.





	The Aftershocks of His Actions

**Author's Note:**

> Or basically Keith doesn't understand what happens when you almost kill yourself.
> 
> For Misterpoofofficial

Shiro was avoiding him. It stung far more than Keith thought it would, but after not only taking over a third of the Galran Empire away from Zarkon and his lackeys but bringing Lotor _himself_ into one of their cells of the ship, he though that there would be _far_ more celebration than there actually was. Instead, he got to the castle and even though Allura, Pidge, Hunk and Lance eagerly gave him hugs of excitement and celebration, Shiro… didn’t look at him. At all. His gaze was firmly fixed to the ground, and at first, Keith wasn’t sure if Shiro was just doing it to be chaste or put up a front while the other world leaders were there, congratulating each other and making it a grand festivity. But even after they decided a celebration would be needed, and the plans were made for the next evening on Shay’s Balmera (It was amazing how excited Hunk and Allura were to see her again) Shiro still did not approach him. Wouldn’t even look his way, really.

            And over the past 24 hours, whenever Keith would try to enter a room while Shiro was in it, the black paladin would find _some_ reason to exit, be it training with his bayard (which, amazingly, could change from just one type of weapon already, with little or no prompting from Shiro) or going over strategies with Allura and the dignitaries in charge of their planet’s army, or even retiring to his own room to read over the stats of their allies and enemies. Each time, Shiro never looked him directly in the eye, or just ignored him when Keith tried to talk to him directly. His body would tense minutely and so would his fists, and Keith could feel his heart sinking into his chest at the thought that maybe… Maybe Shiro was angry that he went with the Blades after all. Why would he lie about it? He had told Keith that he was fine with it. They’d shared a hug together, one that Keith could almost still feel the heat of if he closed his eyes and concentrated hard enough. But… What on earth had happened?

            The answer, it seemed, was right in front of him the entire time in the form of a sibling of Pidge.

            The party was beautiful. The balmera crystals were elegant in the way that they glowed with renewed life, and even as Allura gently and lovingly touched the smooth gems, they almost seemed to grow out and press against her fingertips, making her gasp in delight and smile radiantly. Lance and the other Balmerans were chatting away actively, and it seemed like Rax was _more_ than a little interested in the small blue Paladin, who wasn’t exactly shying away from him, rather tracing the fabric above where supposedly the balmeran’s heart was. It wasn’t until he caught sight of Matt and Pidge losing their fucking minds over Beezer together that Keith had his idea, and he quickly stomped over to the two of them, The older of the two who was looking concerned. “Can I… Can I borrow you for a second, Matt?” He really _really_ hated the idea of taking his time with Pidge away from him, but… “It’s really important.”

            “Oh, uh…” Matt looked down at Pidge, who was smiling serenely at beezer before looking back at Keith. “Yeah, sure. Pidge, I’m gonna be gone for a few minutes.”

            “I’m not deaf, you big goof. Go ahead, I’ll be right here.” It was amazing how different she was around her brother. Her cold exterior was almost completely gone around him, and Keith vaguely wondered if that’s how people saw him and Shiro.

            Well. Used to.

            Matt laughed at Pidge’s response before turning back to Keith, who was looking more and more uncomfortable with every passing second. “Hey, man. Is everything okay? You don’t look so hot.” Keith’s eyes darted down to the ground as he felt himself lock up and freeze. Now that he was there, he wasn’t sure what he should expect. What… What should he do? Matt seemed to practically sense this anxiety and smiled a little bit, carefully touching the red paladin’s shoulder and leading him aside, out of the sights of the party and behind a particularly dim crystal that seemed to pulse with every step the two of them took. “Hey, if it’s something that you don’t wanna really talk about, it’s fine. Is there something that I can do to help-”

            “Does Shiro hate me?” He hadn’t meant for the words to come out that choked and tight, but as soon as they did, there was no stopping it. He tightened his arms around himself almost in a self-hug, but he knew that it was only a very poor substitute of the real thing. Of what Shiro had given him. “I’m… He’s not talking to me anymore. Won’t even look at me. Even if I try to talk to him he just…” His voice withered. “…ignores me.” He clenched his jaw, hoping the way that his hair fell as he spoke covered the way his eyes began to sting uncomfortably. “I can’t even try to ask him what’s _wrong,_ what I did wrong. He’s just avoiding me and I don’t know _why._ ”

            There was a pause, and then Matt spoke. “Probably because you tried to kill yourself by ramming into a particle barrier.” The words were curt, but not cruel. Keith’s head snapped up and Matt was watching him with a strange sense of pinched sadness. “You…” He started to speak, but he took a deep breath and pinched his nose, resting his arm on his other, which was crossed on his chest. “I’m not sure that you should be hearing this from me, but as soon as Shiro realized what you’d almost done, he… he lost it. Not in the way that you’d think, like throwing tables or any such form of rage or anger, but… He kind of realized that he had almost told you _good job_ for killing yourself.” It seemed like this had plagued Matt at night too, the way that his gold-brown eyes were dark with the memories. “Keith, I was there. I saw you. You didn’t _listen_ to me. There was little to no chance that you would have even made a dent in it. You would have died for _nothing._ ”

            Keith let out a snarl, jerking his head forward. “You don’t fucking know-”

            “I know that if the yellow lion hardly made a dent in the particle barrier of your first fight while ramming directly into it you’d be dead. For. No. Reason.” Matt’s words were absolute, brow furrowed in such vehement anger that Keith’s jaw shut with a loud ‘click’. “It would have been for nothing. You would have just died out of sheer recklessness and don’t even think for a _second_ that it’s just me that knew of it. Coran knew. He heard me yelling at you to stop. The entire _team_ knows because if you think for one second that it’s okay for you to fucking suicide bomb yourself for the war, then you’re a fool.” Matt’s knuckles were white from how tightly he was gripping his sleeve, hair draped much like how Keith’s was, though the rebellion officer made no mistake of hiding how red and shiny his eyes were. “Shiro took it the hardest. The rest of us, fuck, we’re just happy you’re alive. But Shiro’s taking it still. It’s only been like… a day since you almost did it. He’s still recovering from the idea that he almost _thanked_ you for dying pointlessly.”

            The wind was immediately sucked out of Keith’s sails, and the fire inside him turned to a low glow of warmth, only simmering slightly. “Oh.” He hadn’t… he didn’t realize that people _knew_ what he’d done, had even _reported it_ to the team. Matt was right. It just seemed like they were just glad he was _alive_ and didn’t want to push, but Shiro… “How do I make it up to him?”

            Matt’s wounded look changed to one of tired excitement. “We’re laying a trap for one black paladin. You guys need to talk.”

* * *

 

 

            The ‘Trap’ that Matt was talking about was incredibly simple, really. Keith waited in a small, cramped part of a cave, his breath still in case that Shiro could possibly hear him somehow. They had involved Shay in the plan, who was very excited to be helping again in any way that she could. Matt was leading Shiro down to where Keith was positioned, and the red paladin flattened himself against the cave wall so he couldn’t be seen by the two of them. That is, until they entered the cave and Matt pushed a shouting Shiro inside, howling with a laugh. “NOW, SHAY!”

            “I am _on it!”_ The balmeran cried, and when she pressed her hands against the rock, the balmera did as she requested, closing the entrance with three bright balmeran crystals. (She was more than a little bit amused by Allura playing Keith in the shows, so she always made a point to remind her sweetly of it just to see the princess flush) Shiro spun around with wide eyes to where he could see out between the cracks of two of the glowing gems, and Shay smiled as she stood next to Matt. “Now, Matt has informed me of what must happen, and I shall remove these crystals when it is settled!” She smiled so sweetly that Keith could only wonder how Matt had gotten her involved in the plan. But the two of them disappeared and then he was alone. With Shiro.

            Who immediately noticed him standing in the dimly lit cave and shut down. Keith could feel the frustration bubble up inside of him once again, and he took a step forward. “Shiro, I know why you’re mad at me.” Shiro flinched, and Keith almost felt bad about it. “And I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry, Shiro. I wasn’t thinking, I really wasn’t. I just… I wanted to help. I couldn’t think of anything else to _do,_ everyone’s lives were in danger. Whatever I could have done, I would have done it. I won’t… I won’t apologize for that.” When Shiro didn’t move at all to look at him or talk to him, Keith’s frustration rose and he stepped forward. “Shiro, please, won’t you just listen to m-”

            A shuddering exhale met Keith’s angry tone, and he faltered. He wasn’t sure how he missed the signs, but… He took a step closer, and a wobbling gasp met his ears. _“Don’t.”_ It was the first time Shiro had spoken to him since the fight was over, and Keith could hear why. It was a wet, desperate plea for Keith to stay away because when Matt said that Shiro had lost it, he hadn’t meant angry.

            He had meant that Shiro cried.

            “Shiro.” Keith couldn’t stop himself from moving forward, no matter how much Shiro stepped backwards as he whispered the black paladin’s name like it was a prayer. “Shiro. Shiro. _Takashi._ ” Soon enough there was nowhere else for him to go, and Keith had him cornered. The man was shaking with restraint, but the evidence was clear that Keith had hurt this man so deeply in one fell swoop. He reached out to touch at Shiro’s arm, his human one, and when no slap away came, he gingerly took his hand, pulling it towards his own chest and placing it over his heart. “I’m alive. I’m so- I’m _so sorry.”_

            It was like that was they key to make Shiro bust wide open like a dam. His legs gave out beneath him and he collapsed to the ground, Keith coming down hard with him. Shiro tugged him closer immediately, hugging him so tightly that Keith could hardly breathe, but that’s probably how Shiro had felt all this time. “You _fucking-_ ” Shiro’s voice was muffled by Keith’s shoulder, but by the distinct wet patch that was growing on the fabric, he had wanted to keep his face hidden for a reason. Shiro’s hands were the opposite of what people would think. They weren’t reserved, polite, gentle. They grabbed at him desperately, clinging to him as if he wasn’t sure Keith was even there at all. Shiro hardly ever cried. Ever. He’d only shed one tear when he thought he was going to _die_ being torn limb from limb when they were all separated. But then again, it seemed like Shiro put a lot more value into Keith than himself. “Don’t. Don’t do that again.” He choked out. “Please. Please don’t- Please don’t do that again.”

            “I won’t.” Keith distinctly heard himself saying. “I won’t, Takashi, I won’t-”

            “There’s so many people already trying to kill us all, trying to take you from me.” The words were honest, and Shiro lifted his head to finally look Keith in the eye and take his breath away. The blue hues of the crystals behind him made his tear tracks practically glow, and the shadows played beautifully against his scars and eyes. “Please don’t make yourself one of them.”

And with a gentle cupping of Keith’s cheek, Shiro gently pulled him into a soft kiss that conveyed everything that Shiro _couldn’t_ say. _I love you. I love you so much._ Keith found himself scrabbling to reply with a press of his own lips, moving to straddle Shiro’s lap so he could get himself chest to chest with him. With Shiro. He made a soft noise into Shiro’s mouth as he ran his left hand through his tuft of white hair, enjoying the sound of exhausted contentment that rumbled through the man beneath him. Both his hands moved down to Keith’s thighs, and his breath hitched at the grip that the older paladin had on him. He made a gentle move to lean down and kiss at Shiro’s neck, pulling the fabric of his uniform away from the skin so he could feel Shiro’s pulse jump with every press of his lips against it.

            “Keith.” Oh, Shiro’s voice had gotten so gravelly, dark and heady like mead. He could drink that up all day if he could, but for now he’d just want to get it from the source. He sucked on the pule point gently, just to hear the way that Shiro’s breath hitched and feel the way that his hands gripped his waist tighter. “Keith. Can I-” Keith bit at the soft skin under Shiro’s jaw, humming when he could feel Shiro’s boner against his own. “Can I please-oh- Can I please fuck your thighs?”

            The request was stated so… sweetly, so shy. Like he was asking for ten extra minutes before getting up in the morning, but Keith found himself smiling softly at the man beneath him, kissing at his temple and downwards. “Whatever you want, baby.”

            The mad scramble to get undressed was one that had the two of them laugh in embarrassment at the way that they looked. Keith, hopping around to get his pants off, and Shiro getting his vest stuck in his galra arm and almost tearing the fabric. They were too high off of each other to really be embarrassed, but Shiro took the time to gently press between Keith’s thighs, making both of them moan where their cocks rubbed against each other. Shiro positioned Keith’s thighs snugly together before placing both over one shoulder, gripping them tight as he rocked against the younger paladin who scrabbled against the floor in an attempt to ground himself to where he was. Shiro’s cock felt so _good_ between his thighs, and if there was a better place and time, he’d be hopping on his dick quick fast and in a hurry. Still, he didn’t let lack of penetration stop him from feeling the size difference between them or letting him hear the small noises that Shiro let out as he began to move faster and really _fuck_ Keith like it was his last day on earth. And he _certainly_ didn’t let it stop him from voicing what he wanted out loud, how he couldn’t wait for them to get the time to really be together, to gently bring Shiro to climax and have Shiro fuck him gently. He couldn’t wait to have their real first time together. He even told Shiro that the blue that bounced off of the walls and made him glow was something he’d take to his grave, and he couldn’t stop the way that Shiro laughed at the phrasing.

            “Well, if I’m around, I hope that’s not going to be too soon.” He murmured, kissing the skin of Keith’s calf, closing his eyes and resting his head on the muscle there as he finally came across Keith’s skin, the red paladin never far behind him. Even then, the crystals made such a simple act seem ethereal between the two of them, as if the balmera was giving them it’s blessing. Its? His? Her? Even in such a good afterglow (Shiro had wiped them both off with his galra hand and flicked it over to the corner. Sorry balmera.) he couldn’t help but ponder it. They both had gotten dressed again and used each other’s arms as pillows, so they could stay close together. So when he voiced his question to Shiro, the man only hummed and smiled serenely. “To be honest, I’m not really sure. I don’t think that the Balmera has the same standards of gender as the Balmerans themselves. Who knows? Maybe we can ask Shay when she and Matt come back to get us.”

            Keith hummed gently. “Mm, that sounds like a good plan. For now, though, cuddling is the priority.”

            And even though it took more than enough time for Matt and Shay to come back and get them (there was a search party out for the two paladins) and apologizing profusely, Keith leaned onto Shiro, and Shiro kept him close, making the two people in front of them sigh and simply shake their head.

            Whatever. Things were better now. Not _fixed,_ but better.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Twitter and Tumblr as @noxiousSanctity  
> I fUCKING LOVE COMMENTS


End file.
